Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-07-22
Flying Visit to the Peshastin Mines.

ED. STANDARD:
A small party of us old friends hav
| ing some months since agreed upor
Il pleasure excursion to the Peshastil
mines, upon the completion of tn.
switchback track over the summit OF
the Cascade mountains by the North
ern Pacific Railroad Company, left
Olympia on the morning of the 18th
instant, at 6 A. NJ, on the steamer
Fleetwood, and found ourselves al
Ellensburgh, in Klickitat county, at 8
P. NJ. of the same day. To take in
THE swITCHBACK
Was, of course, one of the purposes ol
the trip, and We were fortunate enough
to see it under the favorable circum-
stances of clear sky, pleasant day
and in agreeable company. AS an ex-
hibition of engineering skill, visible
demonstration of the power of man to
overcome material obstacles, the con-
temptation of this great work, in its
complete and perfect working order,
excites wonder and admiration in even
the most unimaginative breast. So
far as the views are concerned, it is
true that there were at times some
deep chasms beneath and some lofty
peaks above us; some patches of
snow around us that were at that alti-
tude as permanent as the rocks upon
which they lay, but the ascent was so
gradual, the ride up the mountain so
easy and so similar in every respect
to riding upon the cars over level
ground that instead of experiencing
the new sensation We had been led to
expect, We found ourselves wondering,
as We rolled smoothly along toward
the summit, whether the lofty gran
deur of the Cascade range might not
after all, to very great extent at
least, be merely the creation of our
imaginations. Scientific engineering
is based upon mathematics, and the
imaginative faculties participate not
in the construction of its works. Hav-
ing long since, for all practical pur-
poses, wiped out the great plains, it
has now in this, its last achievement,
reduced the Cascades to the oceans
level. To see a mountain to the best
advantage, you do not want to ride to
its top in the cushioned seats of rail-
road car. If you 60 up at all, climb
up on foot, as we did later on. This
will at least give you some idea of its
altitude, and perhaps incline you to
wish with us that there were switch
backs over them all.
In the morning, after our arrival at
Ellensburg, we chartered a team to
haul us
TO THE MINES.
Our driver was George Schazer, an old
time resident of Thurston county, and
original owner of the farm in Nesqually
bottom now the property of George
Shannon. From our experience in
what is known as the Walla Walla
country, we had expected to have an
excessively hot ride over the prairie to
Swauk, but on the contrary had to
face stiff wind from the north which
had chilled us all through by the time
we had reached Horse Canyon. II is
said that even
sTRAws WILL SHOW WHICH WAY THE
WIND BLOWS.
But here we had more substantial in
dication in the scattering pine trees
along our route, uniformly leaning to
the south, with all of their limbs on
the same side like goose-quill pens
stuck in An ink-stand. The road is
good and passed through a fertile
country up to the head of Swauk
creek. Here are situated
THE swAUK PLACER MINES,
Which have been worked for the past
ten or fifteen years with tolerable uni
form results, 80 far 40 we could learn.
That is to say they have paid and are
still paying all the way from . to 50
per day to the man. We found from
twenty-five to thirty men in this camp
hydraulicing, sluicing and prospecting,
among them our old townsman, Louis
Quitsch, the tailor, who left his shears
and goose some years ago to make a
fortune for the goose in the mines.
Quitsch was not taking out much dust
when we saw him, but was firm in the
faith that he was within a few feet OF
it rich. We thought, as We viewed
this unpromising region of basalt, and
| the great cuts that had been dug into
the hills all around us by these toiling
miners, this is indeed the kind of faith
that removes mountains. The miner
here is occasionally lucky enough to
pick up
NUGGET
| Weighing several hundred dollars
Unlucky is the true name for it, for ii
is generally the source of ruin to those
who play at chance games to win q
good pot. While in this camp We
were shown nugget, taken out the
present season, that weighed some $75
OF course it made our eyes bug out
and as we slept in the cabin of its pos
SCISSOR that night confess that the
uneasiness of my companions, as they
twisted and turned on the hard floor
filled me with apprehension for it.
safety.
The next morning We drove to the